Frank Reich doubles down on his fourth-down decision, trusts his gut

[Toro]

Getty Images

Frank Reich has been one of the most aggressive coaches in the NFL since the Colts hired him in 2018. He is accustomed to the second-guessing that comes with that.

To his credit, Reich, unlike Broncos coach Vic Fangio, has never second-guessed himself or been wishy-washy about any decision he has made. Not even the 2018 decision to go for it on fourth-and-four with 27 seconds left in overtime that led to a loss to the Texans.

This time, the Colts overcame a failed fourth down against the Texans.

The Colts led 24-20 with 6:50 to play and faced fourth-and-1 from the Houston 5-yard line. Philip Rivers made the call at the line of scrimmage, and running back Nyheim Hines was stopped for no gain.

The only thing Reich regrets is not calling timeout before the play.

“Trust your instincts,” Reich said, via George Bremer of the heraldbulletin.com. “You felt like you should have called timeout and re-assessed it. That’s probably what I should have done.”

The Colts did get a safety when Justin Houston sacked Deshaun Watson in the end zone, but the Texans reached the Indianapolis 2-yard line with 1:28 left before an aborted snap ended their comeback hopes.

Reich puts a lot of stock in analytics . . . and even more stock in his instincts. He said immediately after the game that his “gut feeling the whole way was to go for it.”

“That’s what makes this game so fun to watch and be a part of, that we can debate those things,” Reich said. “Those are decisions that need to be made in real time, and we’re confident in the philosophy that we have and the approach that we have in those situations.”

The Colts are 15-of-24 on fourth down this season, including 9-of-14 on fourth-and-one. They led the Jaguars 7-0 in the first quarter of the season opener and a faced a fourth-and-one from the Jacksonville 3. Hines was stopped for no gain, and the Jaguars went on to win their first — and only — game this season.

Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn’t.

Reich will continue to trust his instincts.